All I can really say is ARRRRGGGHHHH!

I have absolutely HATED doing this TMA. I've just finished the first draft, but I got so bogged down along the way I haven't a clue if it even makes sense or is what is required!!! I wonder if it's just me being thick?!

Still, after this there's only two more to go. Shame that one of them is another report!!

Anyway, how's everyone else doing with it?

If I'm honest, I haven't started!! This oen does look tricky and the reading is a bit in-depth.

I'm sure you'll be fine, Rl2957... I expect it's just me.

I've just typed up my written draft (I always write out by hand first and then type up editing as I go) and it made more sense than I'd feared originally, but I'm nowhere near optimistic about it.

Sounds like you use the same method as me for TMA's medusa. What is the 04 Q this year?

Hi Veggie

No question as such but we have to write a report based around Rosenberg's theory of self-knowledge involving interviews with two young people aged 8 and 16. I have to say that I've never written a report before and found it very hard.

Anyway, the main bit of it is done now, just the tweaking to go, so at least it's done.

M x

Good luck with the tweaking Medusa! I have read the first chapter for block but am planning on getting the TMA done in half term, along with 2 others! ARGH!!

Ooh dear - Arrrrgh on your behalf then rl2957!! I don't know how you do it! Good luck with it all!

I've tweaked and may tweak again but am trying to catch up a bit with the text aspect of it all at the moment... can't seem to motivate myself at the moment.

Anyway, hope you get everything done that you want to.

OH MY GOD. ARRRGGGGHHHH.
Medusa, you were right. This TMA is a nightmare. I'm struggling to get the words and finding it really difficult.
It's so bad I'm using my most hated course (SD226) as a break!

I'm sorry to hear that you're finding it hard too - although it's very reassuring for me to find that I'm not as thick as I thought I was, it is not nice to have such a hard assignment.

I'm sure you'll do fine with it...

HI!

Have to add here that this is the first TMA ( this is my 4th OU course) that has meade me want to give it up!
The instructions are badly written and very vague ( to me at least)
I have now read a tutor's instructions on the OU forum ( better late than never I suppose) and now think I may have not done it quite as they say on there

Can't decide whether to fiddle with it ( for the umpteenth time) or say stuff it and send it as it is

AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Madmum

I just had a look at the forums... yikes! I'd never ventured onto there before now and I have to say I'm quite glad I didn't. I think I'm just going to have to submit and hope for the best...

What did that tutor say, Madmum? I didn't find that while I was there!

This is it copied and pasted!!:
For what it's worth, this is what I've just posted to my own tutor group about how to do the analysis for TMA04:

There are basically two-parts to the analysis: a quantitative part, and a qualitative part, but you only code the first part which is the self-descriptions (i.e. Annie and Adam's answers to the 'Who am I?' question). You should code just these answers using Rosenberg's coding categories(P, C, R, and I) as best you can, and you then end up with a Table of comparisons between Annie's and Adam's self-descriptions (like Table 1 on p28 of the Assignment Booklet). All the rest of the interview can then just be very briefly summarised (you don't have to write this out at all; you can just highlight appropriate parts of the transcript that you want to include) and analysed qualitatively (i.e. using discourse analysis - see Methods and Skills Handbook p44) where your focus should be on the meaning that each participant attributes to their behaviour in terms of self-evaluation (strenghths and weaknesses), their feelings of similarity or difference in relation to their peers (Self and others), their 'ideal self' (who they'd like to become), and their locus of self-knowledge - as explained on p24 of the Assignment Booklet. Be careful only to include a summary of all this in the Results - any more in-depth interpretation should go in the Discussion.

However, I strongly suggest you clarify this with your own tutors; I can't guarantee that other tutors will agree with me!

See also a message from Jo pointing out the most relevant parts of the Assignment Booklet which clarify what you should include in the coding exercise (see the 'TMA04' folder above this forum, message from Jo Haycock dated 19th May which reads):

Jo Haycock on 19 May 2008 at 22:30 +0000 wrote:
These statements will come from the children’s completion of the ‘I....’ task at the beginning of the interview when the children were asked to write down ten statements about themselves. Some statements may be a single self-description. Some may link to or duplicate other statements. You will need to decide what you are going to count as a separate response, and enter it as a single item on the category analysis form. You may use their discussion of each ‘I statement’ to inform your analysis. P.26



Note that the self-description ‘I Statements’ that you will be using will be easier to identify as they are drawn from the participants’ written ‘I statements’, rather than picked from an ongoing discussion. P.26

At the top were the words ‘Who am I’ and below that were ten numbered lines, each beginning ‘I...’. On the recording you will hear the instructions they were given. What they wrote is not reproduced in this booklet but it is read out, and this is also viewable in the interview transcripts. You may choose to produce your own version of the completed sheet of the ten or so statements and include it as an appendix to your report. .P24


These are all bits taken from the Assignment Guide - I realise there is lots there but it is crucial to read it all really carefully. As you will see it is very clear about the expected number.



I don't think this is what I have done, but I think I have answered the question so may leave it!

madmum

Yeeesss... I don't think I've done that either. But I can't see the wood for the trees anyway, so best to just hope for the best in my case anyway...!

Thanks for posting that though...

I should think as long as it sticks reasonably well to children's self-knowledge and talking about the two interviews in relation to it, then it should be all right?

HI!

That's what I'm hoping!I really don't want to go back and redo it now- it took me twice as long as any other TMA as it is!

I think fingers crossed and send will do for me!

Madmum

We'll both just have to hope then I guess...